Biden Has 60 Days to Protect Immigrant Communities

Biden Has 60 Days to Protect Immigrant Communities

November 20, 2024

In just two months, Donald Trump will take office as President for the second time. He has already pledged to carry out "mass deportations" of immigrant communities, and with his extremist picks for top jobs in his government, Trump may be in a position to start carrying out these threats the day he takes office.

President Biden and the outgoing administration must do all in their power to protect our immigrant communities before it's too late. One simple step Biden can take: He must issue a long-overdue Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for asylum-seekers from Nicaragua.

A Preventable Crisis

Thousands of Nicaraguan people are currently living in the United States with legal status. In recognition of the grave human rights crisis in their home country-where the dictator Daniel Ortega routinely targets political dissidents and has even started stripping them of citizenship- Biden created a humanitarian parole program allowing Nicaraguans to seek protection in the U.S.

But even though these immigrants came to the U.S. with government permission, the Biden administration recently made the hard-hearted decision not to renew their parole status. This means that thousands of Nicaraguan refugees-along with Haitians, Venezuelans, and Cubans who have benefitted from the same program-will lose their legal status when the current two-year term expires. And they may lose it even sooner if Trump follows through on his threats to terminate the parole program.

Moreover, Nicaraguans are in an even riskier position than these other nationalities. Haitian and Venezuelan immigrants can apply for TPS, if they entered the country before a certain date. Cubans have alternative pathways to adjust their status. But Nicaragua has not had a TPS designation for the last quarter-century. So when the current parole program expires-these families will have nowhere left to turn.

Going back to Nicaragua is not an option. Ortega has made clear that he considers any Nicaraguan citizen who left the country a threat to his regime. To deport people to his hands would send them directly into danger. Yet, with Trump gearing up for "mass deportations," and specifically taking aim at beneficiaries of the parole program, these families may be among his first targets.

Call on Biden to Issue TPS for Nicaragua Now

A TPS designation is not a complete solution to this crisis. Trump has already threatened to cancel TPS across-the-board, and many Nicaraguans may still be at risk, even if Biden issues a new designation. However, Trump also tried to cancel TPS during his first administration, and affected communities-including UUSC partners at the National TPS Alliance-were able to organize and fight back. If Biden grants TPS to Nicaraguans before January 20, it would at least put them in a better position to resist Trump's threats.

For all these reasons, we are pleading with Biden to issue a new TPS designation for Nicaragua before his term ends. Help us urge the president to act by contacting the White House through this form. Please feel free to use a version of this message and personalize it before sending:

Dear President Biden,

Please designate Nicaragua for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) before the end of your term. Nicaragua faces a grave human rights crisis due to the dictator Daniel Ortega's crackdown on all forms of dissent. Ortega's government has even gone so far as to strip people of citizenship and property for daring to criticize his regime. Because of this, people returned to Nicaragua now face the risk of becoming stateless.

Deporting people to Ortega's hands at this moment would place them in extreme peril. Yet, despite these dangers, many Nicaraguans in the United States are currently at risk of losing their legal status and becoming vulnerable to deportation when their current parole term expires. Donald Trump's threats of mass deportation make this dark possibility even more likely.

I urge you to act before it's too late to protect these families and communities from harm. Please issue a new TPS designation for Nicaragua as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

You can also amplify this demand on social media. Please use or modify the following template messages:

• Nicaraguan refugees are on the front lines of Trump's "mass deportation" agenda. [Handle], please protect immigrant communities by issuing a new TPS designation for Nicaragua before it's too late. #TPS4Nicaragua
• Trump takes office in less than two months, and he has already put immigrant communities in his crosshairs. [Handle], I urge you to issue a TPS designation for Nicaragua before Trump can carry out his threats. #TPS4Nicaragua
• Temporary Protected Status is our first line of defense against Trump's threats to tear apart families and communities. [Handle], please issue a new TPS designation for Nicaragua before Trump takes office. #TPS4Nicaragua

Please use these handles to contact the administration on X:

@JoeBiden,@POTUS, @KamalaHarris, @VP, @SecMayorkas, @DHSgov

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